Blurred Horizons

Scarlett wasn't sure how she expected Ben to react, but this was not it. She couldn't really say she was very surprised, but part of her thought he'd have the same concerns she did when it came to raising a child in such an environment. While her glass was half empty, his was always half full. He convinced Scarlett that the environment was fine for any child of theirs. The baby would grow up having seen the world, and when he or she was old enough, they'd have more knowledge and experience than any child could hope for. Ben seemed fairly convinced it would be a girl, too. He wouldn't explain his reasoning, but insisted, so what could Scarlett do but let him believe that? At least out of the two of them, she knew he would be a good father. Not all hope was lost for this child.

Hiding it from the crew was what Scarlett found truly difficult. For the next few days, Ben hovered closely by her, watching what she did and what she ate as if she was going to listen to him if he advised her not to do something. Doc noticed, and was happy to know that Scarlett had finally decided to tell Ben. He was the only other one who knew, and he found himself constantly checking up on Scarlett at Ben's request, even though there was clearly nothing new or wrong with her. She eventually snapped at him when he started pestering her about whether or not she should be giving in to her unhealthy cravings. He shrunk away for a few minutes, but was quickly back and hovering over her again. As annoying as it was at times, Scarlett would be lying if she said she wasn't touched by how much he cared about her and the baby.

Like he said, the next time they stopped at a port to re-supply before their voyage to Barbados, Ben returned with his arms full of wooden planks, paint, and other various tools and trinkets that Scarlett wasn't sure what he needed for. The crew seemed unsure, but they'd learned long ago not to ask why certain things happened inside the captain's quarters. It may as well have been the eighth wonder of the world. Scarlett nudged the wooden planks with her foot gently, raising an eyebrow at Ben, who looked so proud of himself that he was practically glowing.

"What's all this?" Scarlett asked.

"I told you, I'm making a crib," Ben said. "Pink. With roses. I can see it already. There will be a mobile of butterflies above it."

"You've always been quite the artist," she smirked. "What if it's a boy?"

"She won't be."

"But if it is?"

"Then I will love him just as much as I'd love my girl," he told her. "I'll repaint what I have to repaint that very same night. But since she's a girl, I have nothing to worry about."

"I'm willing to bet on a boy."

"The stakes?"

"If it's a boy," Scarlett said, thinking. "I get to name him. If a girl, you get to name her."

"Fine. Deal."

They shook on it, and Ben placed a quick kiss on her hand before floating back to all the things he'd purchased, including white satin sheets. Scarlett held the silky fabric in her hands, frowning as the reality of the situation dawned on her. There was going to be a human being in her care. If she even survived through the pregnancy.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked. "It's the color, isn't it? I knew I should have gone with the ivory fabric. They tried selling me a pale yellow, but I thought it looked like vomit. Perhaps that's why they insisted-"

"No, it's not that," Scarlett said, shaking her head. "You know, the first person I ever killed was my own mother."

Ben sighed and moved to sit beside her, kissing the top of her head.

"You'll be fine, love," he told her. "What happened to your mother wasn't your fault, or hers. It was just an unexpected tragedy. Mothers die in childbirth sometimes. But you know that I will do everything in my power to make sure you're fine. You'll be fine. The baby will be fine. We're all going to be happy. Alright?"

"Alright," she sighed.

Ben smiled at her once more, and she smiled back so he'd move on and start worrying about his crib instead of her. This child was going to think they were born into royalty, the way Ben intended on making it seem. If she had loosened her grip on him even a little bit, she knew he'd run around and make modifications to the Spirit, including its crew, to make sure the baby was comfortable in every way possible. If she wasn't so worried about the amulet and the next eight months, she would have been laughing her head up at his valiant attempts to baby-proof a pirate ship.

Once they were back on the seas, Scarlett found that she didn't feel quite as sick as she did before. Perhaps it was the weight of hiding from Ben that was suddenly lifted off her shoulders. However, that weight was added on double a few days later. Things had been alright, up until Ben was scolding her for having her dress laced up so tightly as he loosened the back.

"If you can't breathe, neither can the baby," he muttered as he pulled and tugged on the laces.

"Don't say the 'b' word too loudly while we're out in the open," she told him.

Though he was standing behind her, she could tell he was rolling his eyes. As he was tying off the bottom, they were both distracted by some arguing at the stern of the ship, rushing over to see what was happening this time. She frowned when she saw Ivan was doubled over, clutching his stomach and cursing.

"What the hell did you do to yourself this time?" Scarlett demanded.

Been shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder, rephrasing what she said in a much calmer tone.

"What happened here?"

Ivan straightened out to show that the entire front of his shirt was bloody, lifting up his shirt to show the slash mark across his stomach. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal or serious, but it couldn't have felt good. When Scarlett made a soft wincing sound at the sight, Ben stepped forward and took over.

"You're fine. Just get some pressure on it. As for the rest of you, no crowding on the deck. Everyone here has something to do."

He nodded, and the crowd dispersed, leaving Ben and Scarlett. She frowned, looking over at him. Ben had been doing a lot lately, leaving Scarlett nothing but a small input when it came to final decision making. She knew better than to believe he was purposefully taking over her roll as captain. He was doing it for her sake, and only for her sake. But for some reason, she still felt like dead weight. Like she had no purpose on her own ship anymore.